Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Lu Xuan returned to the Heavenly Yao Grotto.
But this time was different. Outside the grotto, purple fire billowed like clouds and rose like a barrier, blotting out the sun. A jade tablet hovered above the entrance, its seal-script characters moving like dragons and snakes, suppressing all beneath it.
The entire Spirit Grotto lay beneath the Treasure-Forging Sect's grand array, beyond the reach of all things.
Inside, however, the Heavenly Light was clear and Spiritual Impetus hung in the air, taking the shapes of celestial horses, Azure Luans, Flood Dragons, giant turtles, and all manner of other wondrous beasts.
Stepping inside felt less like entering a cave than arriving in an immortal realm.
Deep within the drifting Spiritual Impetus, True Person Spirit Pivot sat cross-legged in midair on a cushion of cloud, dressed in a purple-and-gold Daoist robe. He watched Lu Xuan with a smile.
"How could I let you go to the trouble of waiting for me, True Person?"
Golden Gourd Boy had led Lu Xuan into the grotto, but Lu Xuan had not expected True Person Spirit Pivot to be here already. He bowed at once.
"I haven't been waiting. The Myriad Treasures Sect held this Spirit Grotto for so long without lighting the furnace that its Spiritual Impetus naturally needed tending."
True Person Spirit Pivot smiled faintly and pointed. A cushion of cloud appeared in the air.
"Thank you, True Person."
Lu Xuan thanked him and sat down on the cushion.
"I expect you already know something of how our Treasure-Forging Sect refines treasures."
"We join with heaven and with man. Through Heaven-Man Communion, a treasure gains spirit of its own. So before lighting the furnace, we must establish your Dao and seek a perfect match."
"Our sect